Category Archives: *Written Interviews

From time to time we encounter an artist or producer toiling away at something pretty special. Here’s what they have to say, in their own words, about their work.

EdFringe Talk: Alex Stringer: Happy Hour

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“Bring on the Irn Bru! I wanna be drowning in it. Like Augustus Gloop from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory but the orange good stuff.”

WHO: Alex Stringer

WHAT: “Alex got sober in 2017 when she was 23. This is a show about what it’s like once you get sober, discovering who you really are without substances, and what if who you really are is actually also a dickhead? Come and spend a happy hour. The debut fringe hour from Chortle Hotshot 2025, Alex Stringer.”

WHERE: Bunker Three at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 18:00 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

No, I’ve attended as a punter for the past 10 ish years, but it’s my first time doing the full month! It’s like Disneyland for adults I think, I can’t wait to get there already. Bring on the Irn Bru! I wanna be drowning in it. Like Augustus Gloop from Charlie & The Chocolate Factory but the orange good stuff.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve learnt that grief is a process and that’s ok and that life is long, so just enjoy the ride baby! I’m really grateful. I feel like I’m constantly learning about who sober me is & how I handle life now and I wanna continue to do that in 2025. Also, getting the ick when a man presents his Costa card without being asked is valid.

Tell us about your show.

My show is about me getting sober at 23 and still being a dickhead without substances (short form) I wrote it, it’s being produced by Pierrot Productions, it’s our first time working together and it’s been amazing so far. Annie is the dream! She was recommended to me by a fellow comic & after a wealth of experience in producing, it’s the first year she’s taking her own company, which is cool as we get to mirror each other in our virginal state! The show is premiering at Edinburgh which is super exciting. The work in progress got me nominated for the women in comedy festival best show award though, so hoping that means it’s good? I’d love to take it everywhere to be honest. I’ve really taken my time to work on it & be the best comic, in order to debut. Plus, I think the message is important, so I’d love it to have a life after Edinburgh – we’ll see!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

My friends are taking their theatre show ‘Cartoonopolis’ for the ten year anniversary of it being written. It’s a one man show, he plays 27 characters and it’s a show inspired by his autistic brother. It’s a love letter to neurodivergence & family & cartoons! It’s so good. It’s stayed with me for ten years. I can’t wait to get to see it again and watch audiences fall in love with it.

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EdFringe Talk: Lily Blumkin: Nice Try

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I can’t wait to be surrounded by nothing but art and artists for a full month. Now I just have to make sure I don’t lose my voice on Day 1.”

WHO: Lily Blumkin

WHAT: “From The Daily Show’s Lily Blumkin comes a hilarious solo show about growing up and getting worse. When packing up her childhood bedroom, Lily introduces us to nine zany characters like a well-meaning dad, a self-indulgent rabbi, and an inanimate clump of hair. After sold out performances in New York, Nice Try comes to Fringe with an honest look at how we use the past to make sense of our present.”

WHERE: Blether at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 17:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Yes!! This is my first time coming to Fringe, my first time coming to Edinburgh, my first time coming to Scotland! I’ve always wanted to perform here because I think it’s the single best place for artists to grow as writers and performers. I’m so excited to finally have the opportunity, and I can’t wait to be surrounded by nothing but art and artists for a full month. Now I just have to make sure I don’t lose my voice on Day 1.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Well, I’m American, so one of the big things I learned in 2024 is just how much people in my country hate women! But that’s probably not the answer you’re looking for. Regarding my show, I learned how to stay fresh in rehearsals by letting myself improvise, and that’s something I continue to do every time I practice. It’s important to me that my show feels lively and adaptable, so I definitely plan on giving myself the space to tweak as the festival goes on and lean into fun explorations that come up.

Tell us about your show.

Nice Try is written by, performed by, and produced by (Miss Piggy voice) MOI! It was directed in New York by my brilliant and talented friend Ariel Gitlin and directed in Edinburgh by another hilarious and gifted friend Lanee’ Sanders. I’ve been writing characters for about six years now, and in late 2023, I got the idea to compile some of my favorites into a solo show. I went through each character I had written, spent a year rewriting and workshopping them with Ariel, then eventually came up with the framing for my show and narrowed my characters down to just the strongest. I started running the full show in early 2025, and I’ve sold out performances in New York! Lanee’ and I will run the show in Edinburgh, adjusting here and there as new ideas come up. Then after the festival, I plan to run it again in NYC and travel with the show to a handful of cities in America.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Everyone should be sure to check out Nick Hornedo’s “Watch This When You Get Home” which is about Nick reuniting with an ex-girlfriend to rewatch a movie he made to break up with her in high school. It’s a hilarious and heartfelt story that is not to be missed. Catch it for the full run Underbelly!

I also highly recommend seeing Alice Fishbein’s “Leo Still Dies In the End.” Alice is a Titanic superfan, having seen the movie approximately one million times. In her innovative and hysterical show, she spins a wheel of iconic Titanic scenes, then performs them from memory. This will be at Gilded Balloon 30 July – 15 August!

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EdFringe Talk: Arthur Miller’s Elegy for a Lady

Posted in *Written Interviews, Bedfringe 2025 by

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“Bedford punters are the best…. they know good theatre when they see it.”

WHO: Bob Paisley

WHAT: “This intimate play follows a conversation between a shopkeeper and a man searching for a gift for his dying mistress. 

Secrets are shared in intimate exchanges through which the Man questions how well we ever really know the ones we love.  The two strangers share a small miracle which, if only for a brief moment, allows them a closeness always hoped for but seldom fulfilled.

Starring Bob Paisley and Patty Whitlock

“Kansas City audiences enjoy a rich, diverse local theater scene. Paisley’s (Central Standard Theatre’s)efforts have been a huge part of that…” ROBERT TRUSSELL”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 24 & 25 July (45 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Nope… I’ve been coming to Bedford since 2010. We’ve brought productions of THE EVENT, DRIVING MISS DAISY, THE ZOO STORY and BILL CLINTON HERCULES.
Recent shows at Bedfringe include

2004 – I SEE YOU WATCHING (Just Like Hollywood) and ONE AND THE OTHER (Canada).

2003 – SUZI OF THE DRES and PAUL ROBESON (Winner Pick of the Fringe)

It’s wonderful for us to contribute to this incredible festival. I’m constantly amazed at the work James Pharoah has done here. The variety, the quality, not to mention the proximity to the Edinburgh Fringe. And the Bedford punters are the best…. they know good theatre when they see it. This year, more variety for us… something old – something new.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Mostly making plans for 2025…

Central Standard Theatre brings 2 productions to Bedfringe this year:
Summer 2025
Arthur Miller’s ELEGY FOR A LADY – Bedfringe, Fundy Fringe (CAN)
BLOODY, BLOODY KANSAS – Bedfringe, Camden Fringe (Hen & Chickens Theatre, London)

Sept-Oct 2025
FARGONE – Roots Mbili Theatre (Sheffield) – 2 week residence in Kansas City

5 Nov, 2025
Singer/songwriter Sarah McQuaid in Concert in KC.

Lord help me, I’ve become a producer…

Tell us about your show.

Arthur Miller’s Elegy for a Lady is, I believe, is a nod to Miller’s brief marriage and obsession with Marily Monroe. This short play (45 minitues tops) delves deep in the psyche to examine some of humanity’s most base emotions… Love.

This intimate play by one of theatre’s master playwrights follows a conversation between a shopkeeper and a man searching for a gift for his dying mistress. Secrets are shared in intimate exchanges through which the Man questions how well we ever really know the ones we love. The two strangers share a small miracle which, if only for a brief moment, allows them a closeness always hoped for but seldom fulfilled.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Our Sister Show, BLOODY, BLOODY KANSAS… Murder most foul! A story ripped from the headlines of 1873 Kansas. More than you probably want to know about the American Wild West.

Based on the true story of the West’s first known serial killing family, the Bloody Benders, this bold new play shatters time and space to reveal the chilling legacy they left behind. At the center is Mary York, a grieving widow turned relentless detective, piecing together a puzzle of violence, justice, and memory.

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Bedfringe 2025 Interview: Resurrection: The Musical

Posted in *Written Interviews, Bedfringe 2025 by

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“We wondered how our pirates would react to our world. This was the begginings of the story.”

WHO: Ian Britten-Hull

WHAT: “Based on the first novel in The Buccaneers Legend trilogy, telling the story of four revived pirates. On a stormy night, an eighteenth-century ship emerges from the mist. Its ghastly crew disintegrates after a lightning strike, giving rise to four new buccaneers with no memories of their past. This is a story of four people on a tempestuous voyage of emotion as they come to terms with who they once were, their own self-discovery and the realization of their own empathy as they navigate the modern world, fighting injustice and ultimately seeking the greatest treasure of all, Life!

The musical features thrilling sword fights, a reimagined folk music score, and a plot rich with twists and mystery. It also addresses contemporary social issues like mental health, John Rackham’s “brain fever,” Mary Read’s gender identity confusion, and Anne Bonny’s history of abuse within a sensitive and fantastical context.

“The show had energy, colour, and spectacle with an array of familiar and rousing musical numbers. We commend you for your enthusiasm and commitment to staging such a complex production” ★★★★★ BALDOCK ARTS & HERITAGE CENTRE”

WHERE: Quarry Theatre

WHEN: 25 & 26 July 2025 @ 16:00 (60mins)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Bedfringe?

This is our first time at Bedfringe and we are really looking forward to it. One of the most important aspects of Bedfringe is that it gives local theatre companies such as ours the chance to prove what we can actually do without having to pay exorbitant theatre hirer charges. Production costs today are sky high and if small theatre companies don’t get funding, then unfortunately they cannot survive for long. This is such a shame as there is so much talent and wonderful ideas out there. Bedfringe gives all those talented people with wonderful ideas a chance to bring their shows to local people. For those who enjoy live entertainment, please come and support Bedfringe and those performers taking part. Theatre companies and performers shows are not any lesser because they are at fringe festivals rather than the West End, in fact many great shows that are now extremely popular started life with humble begginings at fringe festivals. A good example of this is the West End show “Six,” which started out at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. By comeing to see a fringe show, you are actiually taking part in the beggining of the history of a production! Come and see how it all started.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Since 2024 we have strived to widen our reach and to expand our projects. AMA Theatre Co. is also a platform for anyone wanting to get involved in theatre. In fact we have just had two students working with us on work experience and we have now offered them some creative work going forward. We are very concious that with ever tighening of the purse strings, visists to theatre and live entertainment can be restrictive. Although we don’t recieve any funding and we are non-profit making, we keep going by producing a certain amount of corporate work such as team building days, event and festival shows through the summer and pantos during the winter. These projects help to subsidise other shows like Resurrection and help us keep ticket prices as low as possible. Our aim is always to produce shows that entertain and educate for reasonable prices as well as to constantly be open to learn new ways of working and listening to our audiences.

Tell us about your show.

Everyone will remember 2020 when we were all in lockdown and they said “work from home!” Well, we did! We turned our lounge into a studio theatre, complete witha broadcasting suite and we learned how to broadcast live shows over the internet. We also produced a variety of pre recorded shows and plays too. One of which was called “The Buccaneers.” We wanted to produce a show with the tag, “It’s time to live again,” so we could all start looking forward to restrictions being lifted. Then in 2021 we researched the real pirates and we discovered a poigniant and totally different story than most people are familiar with. Yes, there were murderous cutthroat pirates hellbent on theiving riches, but there were also those who resorted to piracy just to survive after the war with Spain. A lot of these people led awful lives with abuse and dire poverty. Piracy gave them a family and a means to survive. We then thought about our world today, and the negativity of populism, threats of war, rasism and prejudice. We wondered how our pirates would react to our world. This was the begginings of the story. I wrote the first novel in 2023 and in 2024, after several try out performances, Resurrection, the stage musical was born. It sees four historical pirates, John Rackham, Anne Bonny, Mary Read and a ficticious pirate, based on several real ones, Jock McTavish, reborn in our modern world. At first they have no memories, but as their memories return, they not only remeber their days as pirates, but more importantly the people they used to be before their souls got lost beneath the rough exteria of the pirates they became. The scenes of their past are represented through reimagined Irish and Celtic folk songs, (Anne Bonny was Irish) Ultimately, they decide to become a force for good in our modern world and fight against oppression and chapion empathy and understanding. We always try to make our shows as visual and exciting as possible and we are really proud of our pirate ship set! The show is faced paced and also pays reference to some modern issues such as John Rackham’s Bipolar and Mary Read’s gender identity. Of coures, no pirate based story would be complete without the odd sword fight!

What should your audience see at Bedfringe after they’ve seen your show?

One of the wonderful things about Bedfringe is that there is so much varied entertainment from theatre to comedy, children’s shows to music! If you love drama then BRAVE Youth Theatre are presnting their adaptation of Mcbeth on 26th at 3pm at the palace theatre. If you need a good laugh, then straight after us on Satday 26th Max Fulham: Full of Ham is on in the Quarry theatre. We are looking forward to seeing Kaye Leidoskope and her two shows for children. These are also interactive and take place in the Garden.

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EdFringe Talk: Kevin Quantum: Unbelievable Magic for Non-Believers

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I came here as a physics student back in two thousand and cough… wide-eyed and under-slept, and ended up staying — mostly because of the Fringe.”

WHO: Kevin Quantum

WHAT: “This classic building in the heart of the New Town is now the centre of a fantastic festival hub, hosting some of the finest theatre, comedy and music from around the world. The Assembly Rooms hosts three spaces indoors: the Music Hall, Ballroom and Drawing Room, with a Spiegeltent (The Bijou) and a studio space (Front Room) outside on George Street.”

WHERE: Ballroom at Assembly Rooms (Venue 20) 

WHEN: 19:40 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Not even close. I came here as a physics student back in two thousand and cough… wide-eyed and under-slept, and ended up staying — mostly because of the Fringe. I’ve been part of this madness as a performer, a producer, and occasionally as a punter pretending I’m not taking notes. What makes Edinburgh so special is that every corner of the city turns into a stage — every cafe, vault, and broom cupboard could be hosting the next great disaster or masterpiece. It’s chaotic, it’s exhausting, and it’s utterly addictive.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

I’ve learned that more people than expected genuinely believe the Earth is flat. That being on a reality TV show (Faking It, 2005) statistically makes me 26.2% more likely to become President of the United States. And that the human body can conduct a million volts of electricity without harm. Just about. I think. We’ll see how August goes.

Tell us about your show.

The show’s called Unbelievable Magic for Non-Believers and, fittingly, I didn’t write it — not in the traditional sense. It’s been built through live experimentation, late-night rewrites, and gasps from the crowd that told me I was onto something. I perform it, co-created it with my director Rhys Morgan (who’s also worked with Derren Brown amongst others), and I’m producing it through my company Quantum Productions (which sounds far more Bond-villainy than it is). This version premieres at the Fringe — although the ideas have been haunting me for years — and we’re planning to tour it to science festivals, dark comedy venues, and anywhere else that enjoys a reality-bending identity crisis with a sense of humour.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

After Unbelievable Magic, go see Robyn Perkins — razor-sharp, science-savvy comedy with heart. Then catch Rosco McClelland, who performs like a hurricane in a hoodie. And don’t miss Matt Parker — the only person who can make maths feel like stand-up and witchcraft at the same time. (Rhys, who helped shape my show, also worked on his — and it shows.) Fringe is full of brilliant minds. Follow the ones that mess with yours in the best possible way.

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EdFringe Talk: The Listies: Make Some Noise

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“After Fringe, we’re touring it across Australia, everywhere from city arts centres to towns with more sheep than people.”

WHO: Rich and Matt

WHAT: “Back by POOPular demand. For over a decade kids comedy maestros The Listies have toured the world doing shows for literally gazillions of kidults (that’s kids and their adults). Now it’s your turn. Make Some Noise! is a comedy concert for humans aged 4-400. Join Rich and Matt, as they belt out a bunch of songs with the LOLs turned up to 11. Hilarious, fabulous fun for the whole family! ‘Without a doubt the funniest kids show I’ve ever seen’ (Frank Skinner). ***** (Time Out). ***** (List).”

WHERE: Studio One at Assembly George Square Studios (Venue 17) 

WHEN: 11:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Absolutely not. In fact, this is our twelfth time here (we’ve got the flyering-induced RSI to prove it). We started off doing absurd late-night cabaret in Spiegeltents and now we perform at 11:40 AM which is PM’s more sensible(ish) cousin. This show sold out last year so it’s back by poopular demand.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

You can eat too many tea cakes. The meadows are always slightly damp and record your spots on a zoom recorder cos they go great in your podcast! Oh and eat a vegetable.

Tell us about your show.

The Listies: Make Some Noise is a musical-ish comedy explosion for kids and their families. It’s loud, it’s ridiculous, and it involves fart jokes but also PowerPoint so it’s actually high brow, Also, inflatable arm-wavy guys, and a lot of audience participation. We wrote it together (we always do), and it’s produced by our company, The Listies. After Fringe, we’re touring it across Australia, everywhere from city arts centres to towns with more sheep than people. It’s also supported by the fab folks at House of Oz!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

We love weird, wonderful theatre for young audiences from all around the world, puppets made out of junk, clown shows that feel like a fever dream, and any gig that has props you can’t take on a plane. Very novel to us Australians.
● @TrygveWakey – New Zealander Trygve Wakenshaw’s physical comedy is masterful and surreal and silly in all the best ways.
● @crashtheatre.co – Lady Macbeth Played Wing Defense! Netball+ Shakespeare. Fellow house of ozers bring this Adelaide Fringe Smash to Edinburgh for the first time. We haven’t seen it yet but can’t wait to see it.
● @comedyclub4kids –It’s a comedy club, right, but for kids. Also any adults who enjoy a swear-free hour with the international circuit’s best stand-ups and sketch acts. It’s our home away from home in Edinburgh!
● Something you have never heard of! It’s fringe-so allow yourself to get flyered and say yes! Take a risk, go and see an adaptation of Beckett played by carrots dressed in barbie clothes. Where else whill you see that?

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EdFringe Talk: The City for Incurable Women

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“It’s also one of the few places where it’s socially acceptable to chase people down the street. Well – you’ve got to sell those tickets somehow!”

WHO: Christina Deinsberger, Charlotte McBurney, Helena McBurney

WHAT: “Ladies and Gentlethem – Feeling a little upset? Have you tried hypnosis, psychoanalysis, smelling salts and it just doesn’t work? Try The City for Incurable Women! Paris, 1880s. In a psychiatric hospital, female patients performed “hysteria” for the public. The doctors went to extraordinary lengths to prove their theories about the four stages of madness. International theatre-collective, fish in a dress follows the thread of the history of hysteria as the audience becomes complicit in an outrageous tale of medical misogyny. (Warning: hysteria cure not included).”

WHERE: Upstairs at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 13:35 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

Charlie: Yes, this is our first time at Edinburgh Fringe! We are incredibly excited* to be a part of this year’s festival. Edfringe is the artistic hub where people congregate from around the world to share and celebrate live performance. It’s also one of the few places where it’s socially acceptable to chase people down the street. Well – you’ve got to sell those tickets somehow!

*slightly terrifie

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

Christina: Pretty much everything. Since the autumn of 2024 Charlie, Helena and I have formed a company, have written, developed and produced a play (for me this is the first own work outside of Germany) and now we are taking it to a massive festival – the past year has been slightly mad. Starting from scratch meant there was a lot of very fast learning necessary. I have learned that in the past people tried to cure hysteria with donkey urine; I also learned that this didn’t work very well (surprise!). I have learned how to operate QLab and direct simultaneously (okay, I do miss a cue every single time I have a note). And I have learned to give in to social media – after I had refused to set up an account for years, we now run one through fish in a dress, which has cost me several nights in discovering the endless abyss that is Instagram.

So far there has not been much time to absorb. We will do the absorbing after Fringe, and until then keep learning at full speed.

Tell us about your show.

Helena: The City for Incurable Women is devised by fish in a dress, a queer feminist theatre collective formed in 2024 by Christina Deinsberger, Charlie McBurney, and Helena McBurney. All three of us wrote and produced the play – but only Charlie performs in it!

fish in a dress came together as a company during an unforgettable walk in the deepest, darkest Highlands of Scotland. We discovered that although our map-reading skills were not completely spot on, and after hours of crawling over, under and through fallen trees, we still wanted to work together. So our first thought was: female madness. The City for Incurable Women tells the true story of a 19th century hospital in Paris where female patients were forced to perform “hysteria” to the public. It has had sold-out work-in-progress shows at Camden People’s Theatre, The Pleasance London, and The Old Operating Theatre, and will premiere in Edinburgh this summer at The Pleasance Courtyard, Upstairs! In the autumn, we return to Camden People’s Theatre.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Bury The Hatchet by Out Of The Forest Theatre. This show has it all: muder, mayhem, and bluegrass music!

Count Dykula. Queer vampires at high school? We’re in!

KINDER involves a drag artist, a library, and a group of unruly children. A recipe for chaos and creative storytelling.

FLUSH is playing right before us. Set entirely in the women’s bathroom of a night club, this is a sAmazons by Gaël Le Cornec. A fascinating look at the continued impacts of colonialism on the Amazon Rainforest. tory about sisterhood, safety and resilience.

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EdFringe Talk: Black Blues Brothers: Let’s Twist Again!

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“We know that nothing should be taken for granted.”

WHO: Bilal Musa Huka

WHAT: “Fringe favourites the Black Blues Brothers are back with a brand-new show, fit for the whole family. After wowing over 50,000 fringe spectators, the Brothers make their McEwan Hall debut. Set in a smoky train station against a soundtrack of unforgettable rock and roll music, witness breathtaking acrobatic stunts, human pyramids and amazing somersaults. Featuring songs by Glenn Miller, Elvis Presley and Aretha Franklin, get ready to go wild as the Brothers astonish and delight. Following four successful Fringe seasons, appearances at the Royal Variety Show and The Moulin Rouge, don’t miss out!”

WHERE: Pleasance Online (Venue 117) 

WHEN: 15:30 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is our fifth time at the Fringe. We came to Edinburgh for the first time in 2019. We immediately fell in love with it. There is no festival like it in the world, and we have toured the world!

This year we are bringing our new show and we can’t wait to introduce it to the audiences who have enjoyed it with us in previous years.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

What we have learned… is that every year is different! Of course, experience helps you manage everything with more awareness, and the fact that in the past years more than 50,000 people came to see our show reassures us, but we know that nothing should be taken for granted. For this reason, we will give our best with the new show: there is new music, a new setting, and above all new and complicated acrobatics.

Tell us about your show.

After touring the world with the show The Blues Brothers, we started thinking, together with our artistic director Alexander Sunny, about a new show. We wanted to propose something new in terms of acrobatics, somersaults, acts. But at the same time, keep the joyful spirit of the first show. We came up with the idea of a waiting room in a train station, where five men pass the time listening to twist and rock’n’roll on the radio. A perfect soundtrack to indulge in new human pyramids and acrobatic exercises. Let’s Twist Again! has been performed in Italy and Europe, but it’s the first time at the Fringe. By the way, this year we are in the prestigious McEwan Hall, which is perhaps the most beautiful venue of the whole festival. It’s going to be a party!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

There are so many sensational circus shows. We definitely recommend Wolf from the Circa company, because they always put on fascinating shows of the highest technical level. And then La Clique, which is a guarantee of fun, with the best circus acts around.

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EdFringe Talk: No Good Drunk

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“I’ve learned is to pack my patience and carry a positive attitude everywhere I go. If I’m too tired or run down to smile, I force myself back into my flat to sleep until I can find the energy to bring a good vibe.”

WHO: Stacie Burrows

WHAT: “In this solo Southern Gothic drama blending film, theatre, original songs, and true stories, ‘LA-based Texan Stacie Burrows is good company’ (Scotsman). With a backdrop of dive bars and graveyards, Burrows goes to El Paso, Texas where her grandfather drank himself to death in the 50s and wound up buried in another woman’s grave. As she moves through generations of her family, we learn that history doesn’t always repeat itself, but it often rhymes. This is a tribute to the perseverance of women who carried on raising children despite being tethered to an addict.”

WHERE: Attic at Pleasance Courtyard (Venue 33) 

WHEN: 12:50 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This will be my third EdFringe show. I took Bulletproof Unicorn in 2022 and Laughable in 2024. I’m one of those masochists that starts writing the next show the minute I get home from the previous festival. I adore the Fringe and the magic that it brings into my life. I get to meet and support artists from all over the world. I am always so excited to see so much creativity on display, to hear unique stories, and mingle with fellow artists. There is an air of positivity that permeates the entire city. I live for this.

I consider it a great festival if I have met new friends. We go through it together, celebrating the hits and commiserating our misses. It’s a reunion of sorts for some of us. As a punter, I’m genuinely motivated by connecting with my audience on the streets. Striking up an organic conversation and then winning them over to see the show is a thrill.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

My biggest lesson that I’ve learned is to pack my patience and carry a positive attitude everywhere I go. If I’m too tired or run down to smile, I force myself back into my flat to sleep until I can find the energy to bring a good vibe. As a solo performer, it’s my face & name on the billboard. So, if someone has a negative experience with me because I was stressed or tired, I have only myself to blame. I save the tears of burnout and exhaustion for behind closed doors. I have also learned to keep my expectations at a reasonable level. No one owes me anything. I am entitled to nothing. I have to earn whatever good is coming my way.

Tell us about your show.

No Good Drunk was a collaboration of incredible talent from across Los Angeles. I wrote the script, as it is based on true stories about the generations of my family that were upended by alcoholism. The music was co-written by me and Sam Small. Sam Small is an LA-based singer/songwriter/producer who is known for his melodic psychedelic folk rock. His prowess as a poet made him the perfect partner in telling these stories through song. We went into Kevin Jarvis’ studio, Sonic Boom Room, Venice to record the soundtrack with a full band. The album will be released on Spotify in July.

The film elements were shot and edited by LA-based production companies Goode & Dunn and Musebelle LLC.

My stage director Katierose Donohue Enriquez walks the line between humour and tragedy like none other. She guides the development of the story with passion, heart and determination.

I did a workshop performance in Los Angeles as part of the Hollywood Fringe Festival in June 2025. My hope is that No Good Drunk finds success in the marketplace and has an opportunity to tour across the UK and US.

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

I have so many favorites! Here are a few: Michael Traffeur stuns in The Pink List, Briony Price has a voice that will blow you away, Garry Star amuses and delights, Cat Cohen makes me snort-laugh, Furiozo is the clown to watch, and John Norris in Mr. Chonkers is the most absurd thing I’ve ever seen.

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EdFringe Talk: Midnight at the Palace

Posted in *EdFestivals 2025, *Written Interviews by

“There’s something about Edfringe that feels wonderfully primal, like scratching an itch in our lizard brains.”

WHO: Rae Binstock

WHAT: “Living your true self is nearly a crime again, so join the OGs of F*ck You Counterculture for a night of radical joy and glitter-encrusted anarchy. A fever dream of gender-bending hippies, freaks and drag queens, led by flowers-in-guns radical Hibiscus and disco diva Sylvester, The Cockettes took San Francisco by storm in 1969. But when they tried to take their acid-fuelled, avant-garde act mainstream in NYC, it all went horribly wrong. A new musical with music & lyrics by Brandon James Gwinn and book by Rae Binstock, exploding with on-your-feet numbers and in-your-face hilarity.”

WHERE: Big Yin at Gilded Balloon Patter House (Venue 24) 

WHEN: 19:31 (60 min)

MORE: Click Here!

Is this your first time to Edinburgh?

This is my first time at Edfringe, and I still can’t quite believe it’s real. I’ve been dreaming of this since I was a baby playwright in high school. Edfringe has a global reputation for a reason: it’s not afraid of anything, no matter how unorthodox or extravagant, and it’s proved that with decades of unabashed bizarreness. There’s something about Edfringe that feels wonderfully primal, like scratching an itch in our lizard brains. Performance is this ancient thing we’ve been doing since before we could write or build, a trading of perspectives and spectacle that creates tiny holes in the walls that keep our minds separate from each other. Edfringe is what happens when an entire city embraces the fervour of performance in all its shapes and sizes, in all its many weird and confusing forms. It’s a moment made of moments, each one special and impossible to replicate, a performance of loving performance—and at a time when so much of our art is streamed to us in isolation, it brings everyone together into a big mix of bodies and laughter and ideas. It’s the essence of making something new, the high of sharing it with other people, and the freedom to live in the absolute present—that’s the Edfringe experience I’ve always heard about, and that I can’t wait to be a part of.

What are the big things you’ve learned since 2024 and have you absorbed any of the lessons yet?

The things I’ve learned that transfer into the world of Edfringe and theatre are really all different versions of one deep lesson, which is that there is no such thing as a person who is not valid. There are people who are wrong, who are cruel, who are ignorant, who are destructive, and whose actions hurt others—and yet those people are still people, with the same right to think and experience as anyone else. It’s kind of an unpleasant truth, because human beings are capable of some pretty horrible things, and it feels a lot easier to be able to write evil-doers off as a different type of human. But the fact is that the best and most innocent among us are made of the exact same stuff as the worst among us—and if we’re strong enough to acknowledge that, it opens up a whole universe of possibility, both personally and artistically. Why do people make the choices they do, that separate them in action from the essence they share? Why do we take the feelings and fears of others personally, as though they don’t exist without us? What does it take to change, and why do we want to know?

Tell us about your show.

MIDNIGHT AT THE PALACE is a new musical following the 1960s avant-garde performance troupe known as the Cockettes. A fever dream of gender-bending hippies, freaks and drag queens, led by flowers-in-guns radical Hibiscus and disco diva Sylvester, the Cockettes took San Francisco by storm in 1969. But when they tried to take their acid-fuelled, avant-garde act mainstream in NYC, it all went horribly wrong. Their story—the good, the bad, and the glitter—resonates through the decades to the queers and weirdos of today, and the revolutionary spirit that can never be snuffed out.

MATP was originally conceived of by myself (Rae Binstock) and producer Jay Kuo, after a member of the Nouveau Cockettes (a revival group led by some of the surviving original members) reached out to suggest creating a musical about their history. We spent months developing the concept and the script with Jay’s producing partners at Sing Out, Louise! Productions, and when it came time to choose a composer, I listened my way through tons of generic musical theatre samplings until suddenly I came across the work of Brandon James Gwinn. From the moment Brandon came on board, the spirit of the show surged to life, and we really had something. After a year of working across three time zones (I was in Los Angeles, he was in New York), I had written the book and he’d completed music and lyrics, despite only having been in the same room twice. Our amazing director/choreographer Paul McGill was the last piece of the puzzle. We’ve been casting over the last few weeks, and I can’t express how excited I am to work with this amazing cast and creative team. Edinburgh Fringe will be our onstage debut, and there are so many possibilities on the other side!

What should your audience see at the festivals after they’ve seen your show?

Everyone should go out and see THE MONKEYPOX GOSPEL, an incredibly cool mixed-media piece written by Ngofeen Mputubwele and directed by a good friend of mine, Alex Hare. Not only is the subject matter raw and important, but it’s SUCH a fascinating blend of sources and material and technology. I know I can’t wait to experience it!

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